Launching Landano land rights on Cardano mainnet

[GENERAL] Name and surname of main applicant

Aaron Moguin

[GENERAL] Are you delivering this project as an individual or as an entity (whether formally incorporated or not)

Entity (Incorporated)

[GENERAL] Requested funds in ada

279200

[GENERAL] Please specify how many months you expect your project to last (from 2-12 months)

6

[GENERAL] Please indicate if your proposal has been auto-translated into English from another language

No

[GENERAL] Summarize your solution to the problem (200-character limit including spaces)

We will upgrade the prototype software created during the Landano pilots and deliver a production-ready Cardano mainnet MVP for registering, verifying, and transferring land right records.

[GENERAL] Does your project have any dependencies on other organizations, technical or otherwise?

No

[GENERAL] If YES, please describe what the dependency is and why you believe it is essential for your project’s delivery. If NO, please write “No dependencies.”

No dependencies

[GENERAL] Will your project’s output/s be fully open source?

Yes

[GENERAL] Please provide here more information on the open source status of your project outputs

The Landano project will issue an Apache 2.0 license for the intellectual works it creates, including the Mendix design models used to operate the Landano Mendix infrastructure, along with any software artifacts that are produced as a result. Note that some of the Landano components will have a dependency on Mendix’s public cloud infrastructure to execute some compute tasks. However, releasing the Landano models under Apache 2.0 license makes it easy for anyone to permissionlessly inspect, modify, and enhance these components and run them as their own modified Mendix modules, whether for personal or commercial use. See https://docs.landano.io/d/technical-architecture

[METADATA] SDG rating

SDG goals:

• End poverty in all its forms everywhere
• End hunger, achieve food security and improved nutrition and promote sustainable agriculture
• Promote sustained, inclusive and sustainable economic growth, full and productive employment and decent work for all
• Reduce inequality within and among countries

SDG subgoals:

• By 2030, ensure that all men and women, in particular the poor and the vulnerable, have equal rights to economic resources, as well as access to basic services, ownership and control over land and other forms of property, inheritance, natural resources, appropriate new technology and financial services, including microfinance
• Ensure equal opportunity and reduce inequalities of outcome, including by eliminating discriminatory laws, policies and practices and promoting appropriate legislation, policies and action in this regard
• By 2030, double the agricultural productivity and incomes of small-scale food producers, in particular women, indigenous peoples, family farmers, pastoralists and fishers, including through secure and equal access to land, other productive resources and inputs, knowledge, financial services, markets and opportunities for value addition and non-farm employment
• Increase investment, including through enhanced international cooperation, in rural infrastructure, agricultural research and extension services, technology development and plant and livestock gene banks in order to enhance agricultural productive capacity in developing countries, in particular least developed countries
• Strengthen the capacity of domestic financial institutions to encourage and expand access to banking, insurance and financial services for all

Key Performance Indicators (KPI):

• Proportion of total adult population with secure tenure rights to land, (a) with legally recognized documentation, and (b) who perceive their rights to land as secure, by sex and type of tenure
• Volume of production per labour unit by classes of farming/pastoral/forestry enterprise size
• Average income of small-scale food producers, by sex and indigenous status
• Proportion of adults (15 years and older) with an account at a bank or other financial institution or with a mobile-money-service provider
• Proportion of population reporting having personally felt discriminated against or harassed in the previous 12 months on the basis of a ground of discrimination prohibited under international human rights law

[SOLUTION] Please describe your proposed solution

Launching Landano on Cardano mainnet will be a positive step towards solving the global land rights problem. Over one billion people worldwide go to bed at night worried that their family’s home or land will be taken from them due to a lack of documentation. Our pilot projects in Ghana and Mozambique uncovered a legitimate path forward that combines the decentralized authority of traditional community leaders with the decentralized trust guarantees offered by Cardano blockchain technology. 

Using a shared, auditable ledger like the Cardano blockchain improves transparency and eliminates the potential for fraud. Our on-the-ground engagement with traditional leaders and individuals in non-urban areas has made it very clear that a complete, reliable, production-ready Landano dApp is in high demand and eagerly awaited. The prototype core features grew directly out of feedback and input from local governments and individuals in these areas most at risk from the insecurity of their land tenure. Our pilot project collaborators are also the most capable of rapid implementation due to the near-vacuum of existing administration tech and infrastructure. This means they don’t have to manage legacy system integrations and migrations and can leap-frog out-dated centralized systems by adopting Landano.

Using the same Mendix low-code development platform which we used to create our pilot project prototypes, we will deliver production-ready Landano features that are available on Cardano mainnet. This Landano Minimum Viable Product (MVP) will:

1. Allow land administrators to create land parcel records and mint land records as Cardano NFTs on mainnet. 
2. Transfer land right NFTs between Cardano wallets
3. Allow for user-friendly verification of NFT ownership

These Landano land right NFTs will be the basis for a variety of land administration transactions that are compliant with local land acts (starting in Ghana and Mozambique) as well as international standards for record-keeping and land administration systems.

Our proposed solution will focus on delivering these three feature milestones on Cardano testnet and then make the transition into a production-ready system on Cardano Mainent as our fourth and final project milestone deliverable.

Delivering a Landano MVP on Mainnet is important for Cardano as it will establish Cardano-based land record NFTs as new DeFi primitives for mortgages, business loans, leases, and crop insurance, etc. This will place Cardano at the center of a financial mobility revolution for the estimated one billion people worldwide that have land rights but lack the documentation to prove it.

[IMPACT] Please define the positive impact your project will have on the wider Cardano community

Landano is a high-impact, quality dApp that will increase the utility and adoption of Cardano when it goes live on Mainnet. Our community-based pilot projects and prototyping work in Ghana and Mozambique has proven that Landano is a viable product that is primed to attract a large user base because it provides solutions for long-standing land management issues while also providing a clear path forward into upward financial mobility for highly-motivated but marginalized people.

[CAPABILITY & FEASIBILITY] What is your capability to deliver your project with high levels of trust and accountability? How do you intend to validate if your approach is feasible?

Our team at Landano International Ltd. is uniquely qualified to launch the Landano project on mainnet. Each team member brings specific expertise crucial for the success of this initiative.

Aaron Moguin, COO of Landano and Project Manager: Aaron is responsible for the project's overall management, ensuring that all tasks progress cohesively and efficiently. His expertise in operations management is key to maintaining project timelines and delivering on milestones. 

Dorus van der Kroft, CTO of Landano and Lead Developer of the Project: Dorus is the driving technical force behind the project. With extensive experience in blockchain technology and software development, he ensures the technical excellence and innovation of our solution.

Peter van Garderen, CEO of Landano and Systems Analyst for the Project: Peter brings a strategic vision for integrating blockchain solutions with enterprise systems, overseeing the analytical aspects of the project. His insights are vital in aligning Landano’s record-keeping requirements with industry standards.

Technical Feasibility & Project Management:

Our approach combines agile methodologies with continuous integration and deployment, ensuring that the project adapts to changing requirements and incorporates feedback efficiently. We leverage state-of-the-art tools for project tracking and version control, guaranteeing transparency and consistency.

Risk Mitigation:

We have identified key risks, including technical challenges in blockchain adoption in rural areas, and have strategies in place to mitigate them. Regular reviews, testing phases, and community engagement will ensure that we promptly address any issues, maintaining the project's integrity and progress.

Our team's combination of technical acumen, strategic insight, operational excellence, and community engagement positions us to successfully deliver a product that meets the needs of the Cardano ecosystem and its stakeholders.

[PROJECT MILESTONES] What are the key milestones you need to achieve in order to complete your project successfully?

Milestone 1: Mint land record NFTs

1. Milestone outputs: Browser-based Landano user interface
2. Acceptance criteria:
3. Land administrator can enter cadastral data for a land parcel in their community
4. Land administrator can issue a Cardano NFT for each right associated with a land parcel
5. Land administrator can transfer a land right NFT to a rights holder in their community
6. Evidence of milestone completion: Features B.a, B.b, and B.c are demonstrated on Cardano Testnet

Milestone 2: Verify NFT ownership

1. Milestone outputs: Mobile-app Landano user interface
2. Acceptance criteria:
3. Landano user can retrieve their land right NFT on a mobile app and display a user-friendly version for human verification
4. Evidence of milestone completion: Features B.a are demonstrated on Cardano Testnet

Milestone 3: Transfer Landano NFT

1. Milestone outputs: Mobile-app “transfer NFT” funtionality
2. Acceptance criteria:
3. Landano user can request the transfer of land right NFT to another user for a disclosed price and transfer free
4. Land administrator reviews and approves or denies the NFT and rights transfer
5. Recipient can retrieve their land right NFT on a mobile app and display a user-friendly version for human verification.
6. Evidence of milestone completion: Features B.a, B.b, and B.c are demonstrated on Cardano Testnet

Milestone 4 (Final): Launch Landano on Cardano mainnet

1. Milestone outputs: Software code
2. Acceptance criteria: Landano Mint, Verify, and Transfer are all possible on Mainnet
3. Evidence of milestone completion: Landano is available for production-use on Cardano mainnet

[RESOURCES] Who is in the project team and what are their roles?

Project management: Aaron Moguin, Project Manager and COO - Landano

Aaron is responsible for this project's overall management and delivery schedule, ensuring that all components progress cohesively and efficiently. His expertise in operations management is key to maintaining project timelines and quality. 

https://www.linkedin.com/in/aaron-moguin-0a769512/

Software development: Dorus Van Der Kroft, Software Lead and CTO - Landano

Dorus is co-founder of Landano. He is an expert consultant for the Mendix low code platform and a full stack developer with over twenty years of industry experience delivering projects from start to finish. His broad set of software engineering skills have been used in start-ups and large enterprises.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dorus/

Design and requirements: Peter Van Garderen, System Architect and CEO - Landano

Peter is co-founder of Landano. He is a professional archivist and a world-renowned expert in the field of digital records management. He is the creator of the most widely deployed open-source archives management applications in the world and a long-time decentralization advocate. Peter has designed software architectures and led development teams for over 15 years.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/petervangarderen/

User engagement and testing: Dan Amankona, CMO of Landano and Community Liaison: Dan plays a pivotal role in engaging with the developer and broader Cardano community, gathering feedback, and fostering collaborations that enhance the project's relevance and adoption.

https://www.linkedin.com/in/dan-amankona-50346649/

[BUDGET & COSTS] Please provide a cost breakdown of the proposed work and resources

To accommodate for the fluctuation in ADA price, which creates a conversion risk and a potential budget shortfall, we are using the 12 month historical low (October 2023) base price of $0.25 ADA to calculate our expenses.

We will employ 2 senior Mendix software engineers ($130/hr = 520 ADA/hr), 1 systems analyst ($100/hr = 400 ADA/hr) and 1 project manager ($100/hr = 400 ADA/hr) to complete this work over a six month period. The systems analyst role includes requirements analysis, documentation, user acceptance testing and community management.

Milestone 1 (45 days): ₳76,000

Software Engineer: 100 hrs (₳52,000)

Systems Analyst: 40 hrs (₳16,0000)

Project Manager: 20 hrs (₳8,000)

Milestone 2 (45 days): ₳57,600

Software Engineer: 80 hrs (₳41,600)

Systems Analyst: 30 hrs (₳12,000)

Project Manager: 10 hrs (₳4,000)

Milestone 3 (45 days): ₳76,000

Software Engineer: 100 hrs (₳52,000)

Systems Analyst: 40 hrs (₳16,0000)

Project Manager: 20 hrs (₳8,000)

Milestone 4 - Final (45 days): ₳57,600

Software Engineer: 80 hrs (₳41,600)

Systems Analyst: 30 hrs (₳12,000)

Project Manager: 10 hrs (₳4,000)

Server and administrative costs: ₳12,000

[VALUE FOR MONEY] How does the cost of the project represent value for money for the Cardano ecosystem?

Our project offers substantial value for money:

• Potential for Widespread Adoption: With the onboarding of the tens of thousands of new Landano users in both Ghana and Mozambique, Cardano stands to benefit from a substantial increase to its user base; if even a small percentage of these new users participate within the broader Cardano ecosystem, it will represents significant growth in the use of Cardano’s blockchain technology. This translates to both an increased user base and potential for more diverse applications on Cardano, enhancing the blockchain's utility and visibility in various sectors.
• Strategic Alignment with Cardano's Goals: Our project directly supports Cardano's strategic objective of expanding its ecosystem and fostering blockchain adoption. This alignment ensures that the investment is not just in a standalone project but in the broader goal of ecosystem growth.
• Cost-Effective Approach: Our budget is strategically allocated to ensure maximum impact per ADA spent. The emphasis on essential features within a three-month timeline ensures that the project delivers value quickly without unnecessary expenditures.
• Community and Future Development: By making our tools open-source, we are investing in the Cardano community. This not only fosters collaboration and innovation but also ensures the sustainability and continuous improvement of the tools we develop.

The investment in this Landano MVP project yields not only immediate tangible outputs in the form of a groundbreaking decentralized land rights application, but also long-term benefits for the Cardano ecosystem through increased adoption, community engagement, and alignment with strategic objectives.